Workplace safety is of the utmost importance. Safety can impact a company’s bottom line, no matter what industry. Accidents can result in lost production time, damage to materials or facilities, and lost income. Most importantly, if a business does not treat caution and common sense as a priority, they are compromising the health and safety of their staff. Every year, thousands of employees are impacted by workplace injuries or deaths. Minimizing risk is an idea everyone can get behind. There are numerous ways for businesses to emphasize safety and reduce risk. Training programs and rules are a good way to implement safety in the workplace, and an effective method called “Behavior-Based Safety”, has become increasingly popular.
An Effective Method – Behavior-Based Safety |
Behavior-based Safety Practices
The key to keeping a workplace safe has been said to lie in behavior-based safety practices. When employees and supervisors change their behaviors in order to maximize the likelihood of an accident-free work environment, the benefits are enhanced. Both employees and supervisors are emphasized because cooperation and a strong relationship between these two parties is necessary to make these practices successful. Behaviors are not only changed and monitored by the people doing the actual work but the management staff as well. With everyone working together, workplace safety goals can be reached faster.
The definition of behavior-based safety programs includes understanding behavior, maintaining it, and changing it as needed. This includes not only watching out for negative behaviors but reinforcing and promoting positive ones as well.
Implementing Behavior-based Safety
The first step in implementing behavior-based safety programs is training. Training for everyone is essential. All individuals must be “on the same page” in order for the implementation of a new protocol to be successful. There are training programs available online at very reasonable costs, especially when one considers the money-saving opportunities afforded by a safer workplace environment.
There are several elements to this line of thinking regarding workplace safety. One is considering at-risk behaviors. People must not only be able to identify these behaviors, they must also be able to understand why they come into play, and what can be done to prevent them. The definition of risky behavior will vary depending on the industry, so it is important for the business to make clear to their staff what these specific behaviors are. Not only are risky behaviors dangerous, in some cases, but they can also be illegal.
Components of a Behavior-based Protocol
Oftentimes, workers move or make choices based on habits. Habits can be good or bad, but bad habits can sometimes cause major problems. When workers fall into habits, they may not be as cautious as they should be. Recognizing good and bad habits, how to break them, and how to form new, more positive habits are all essential components of a behavior-based protocol. Individuals must not only learn how to recognize these actions in themselves, but in others too, and how to handle the situation when another person is caught in the rut of a bad habit.
Behavior-Based Performance Management
Not only is behavior based management attractive to many workplaces, but it is also backed by scientific research. It relies on the “Do It” system, which are action steps that help employees recognize and correct potentially dangerous behaviors in themselves and also those performed by their co-workers.
Behavior-based workplace safety
Completing the training about a behavior-based program will help companies implement a safety culture that includes all without bias and becomes second nature. As a result, workers feel more confident as well as safe in their work environment. Fewer accidents and a focus on safety will boost worker productivity and contribute to a positive climate within the business. One of the best facets of behavior based programs is that they are truly employee driven, and employees feel ownership for the safety of themselves and others.
Behavior-based safety is the future of almost all industries. Numerous leading companies are already implementing training programs within their businesses to promote this mode of support and wellness for their employees and managers alike. A culture of workplace safety benefits everyone, and behavior based protocols make this emphasis streamlined, effective and simple.